


Small Misunderstanding

by MrLucyLu



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 07:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1460473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrLucyLu/pseuds/MrLucyLu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small touch can leave such a huge impact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Misunderstanding

It was love at first ass.

And it's funny because, initially, all he needed was a flooring job in his living room. Now, those same glutes were bent towards him as the owner sponged away grout from the bottom wall tiles of his newly renovated shower stall.

Gaara's previous bathroom had been perfectly fine. He called it a long-awaited renovation.

Kankuro called it a horny caprice.

It was a good thing they had the means to pay.

Green eyes snapped to the back of his employee's head when he straightened up. They followed his movements, watching the once pristine, yellow sponge being plunged into brown, murky water only to be squeezed to the last drop.

But that wasn't what interested the young twenty-three year old. Light, brown skin over finely sculpted muscle was what enraptured him. What kept him up at night.

He wanted to touch; run his hands over every particle of skin. It looked soft, but he wondered if the rough texture of pure, hard man would travel through the sensors of his dermis as he palmed it.

How would they feel wrapped around his body as those hands explo-

His head jerked forward before he finished his thought.

"You have the Nile River running down your chin there, you perv."

Kankuro smirked as he passed by his brother, giving a two finger salute before disappearing down the corridor.

Gaara glared belatedly at the back of the brunet's head, cursing him in every language he knew as he brought the back of his hand to swipe at his chin.

Sure enough, dear ol' brother was right.

He was only glad Lee happened to be wearing his earphones.

Scowling at himself, he was about to head to his room, but when he glanced up to get one last, fulfilling look, the object of his desires turned, bucket in hand.

"Oh, Mr. Sabaku! I did not know you were in."

The redhead straightened up, hefting his backpack up higher on his shoulder.

"My last class was canceled."

"Well, good thing. That bag looks heavy," the renovator smiled.

It was impossible to resist that smile. Only he could get his lips to involuntarily quirk up. "Ah, yes. A little. How's the work coming along?"

The bucket was put down and Lee moved to stand besides Gaara for a better standpoint. "It is almost finished. I just need to wipe up one more time with clean water. For a while the tiles will look a bit dusty but that will clear off with use. After I am done with that all I need to do is replace the sink and I should be done by today."

Even though Gaara heard every word, they didn't exactly process. Having Lee this close was doing things to his concentration so he only hummed when Lee continued no more.

"So you're telling me I should prepare the check," he said teasingly. He stepped forward for a better inspection, though he would never admit to doing it as an excuse to move away. There was no telling how much longer he could go without feeling Lee's skin and Kankuro had warned him.

_He's not like your usual lays. Let him be._

And it was true. Over the last three weeks, he'd spoken to Lee little by little. There was a tender side by which he spoke. No malice. No lies. Just sincerity, innocence and openness that, for once, forced him to heed his brother's warning.

He was blunt by nature and if he'd had his way Lee would have long ago been pinned to the wall while Gaara ventured with his lips and took his fill. That, of course, was not something he would do to Lee. To his brother's surprise, he respected the hardworking brunet too much.

"Oh, no! I am in no hurry, Mr. Sabaku. I-"

"Gaara."

Lee stopped mid rant when he was interrupted. "I'm Sorry?"

"I've told you before. Mr. Sabaku was my father. Just call me Gaara." He turned to face Lee and smirked at the redness lightly dusting his cheeks. Lee averted his eyes when he made contact with those green orbs.

"Of course, Gaara. Please forgive me."

The red head made his way out, but not before his arm bumped slightly with Lee's. It was just a small contact, but it sent tendrils of electrifying sparks down his spine.

This proved one of his points: Lee's skin was deliciously smooth.

_Is the rest of his body as such?_

Clearing his throat, he walked away ignoring the unrelenting twitching of his fingers. "Call me when you're done."

Lee stared at the younger man's back as he retreated, somber eyes glued to the the red hair as the locks bounced slightly with each step.

* * *

He finished packing up his things a little after eight. After locking his crossbed tool box, he walked over to the spigot out front and turned it to a slow flow. His arms had a bit of grout and the hot air gave him an excuse to refresh himself.

Making sure he was presentable and that his feet didn't drag in any dirt into the house, he made his way to his patron's room.

To be honest, every time he was near Gaara, it made him slightly nervous. The man was beautiful! It was probably the wrong adjective to describe a man, but that's what the red head was. It made him self-conscious of himself just being in the same room with him.

The man may be younger than him, but there's certain people that exude a powerful persona and Gaara was definitely one of them.

Kankuro was too. His presence was imposing, but his personality made you feel welcomed when you got to know him.

But there was just something about Gaara. It was an itch he could not scratch and he doubted the man would be even slightly tolerant of it.

His hair. That fiery, red hair that glowed like a halo around his head when light shone upon it. And if he hadn't been at that exact same bar with Kiba, where he surprisingly met with his red headed employer being pulled into a passionate kiss, he wouldn't be feeling the need to run his own hands through those scarlet locks!

But he wouldn't do that. The urge was weird enough and besides, despite the politeness Gaara showed towards him, something told him the young man was...repulsed by him.

Never once had Gaara shaken his hand. He'd left him hanging quite a few times before Lee caught drift. Gaara actually  _sidesteps_  him with quite a large distance to spare if they are in each others vicinity. And today, he flinched so hard when their arms touched and if that didn't give Lee enough evidence as to how much Gaara disliked him, then he didn't know what did.

He neared the room in no time, but lingered a bit in front of the closed door. Gaara may hate him, but Lee sure didn't. Even if forced, he was pleasant company in those few times he sat and watched him work.

Shaking his head, he finally knocked and waited. He was not prepared for the sight he was presented with.

"Done?" A groggy voice filtered out. If anything, it was quite arousing.

Lee nodded before stuttering a shy yes.

Gaara, on his part, was not conscious of his appearance. He tried to take a nap, which he, apparently, succeeded in, but forgot he usually slept only in boxers.

So not only did he give Lee a glimpse of what the brunet deemed adorable what with the mussed hair and sleepy expression, but he showed that he was not, in fact, just skin and bones. His clothes were just a criminal obstruction hiding his sinewy body.

Gaara hummed and retreated back to his room, scratching the back of his head and disheveling his hair even more.

Lee waited right outside the threshold as his eyes tried to look at everything but the red head.

"Here." He handed the check with only the tips of his thumb and index finger precariously holding the very edge of the rectangular paper.

A sad, disappointing smile crossed the brunet's lips for a fleeting second before he looked up and made eye contact with Gaara.

With a hundred kilowatt smile, he thanked him.

"Thank you, again, for requiring my services! It was a pleasure working for you." It wasn't a lie, but a bittersweet truth.

"Yes. Thank you." Temari would be proud of this learned pleasantry.

Lee stepped back and gave an awkward farewell wave, but Gaara spoke before he could actually leave.

"Kankuro would like his own bathroom remodeled."

Black, thick eyebrows rose to the point where his fringe hid them halfway. He was surprised he was being asked to work a third job in such a short time.

_How do you have money to spend so leisurely? You are students!_

"While we are still students, we have an inheritance. And it's no pocket change either." Gaara leaned on the frame of his door and crossed his arms, finally noticing his state of dress. He shrugged and scratched idly at his lean stomach.

Lee jumped when he received an answer. Either he said that out loud or Gaara was a mind reader.

"I am sorry! I did not mean to pry. Sometimes I tend think out loud and Kiba has told me repeatedly to watch out for that because it has gotten me in some messy situations before..."

Lee was rambling and as amusing as the red head found it one small detail was derailing his thoughts.

"Kiba? You know Kiba?"

The brunet's anxious hand movements stopped. "Hmm? Oh, yes! He is a very dear friend of mine. He was the one who recommended me to your brother actually."

Gaara straightened up to his full height. All five feet eleven inches. He wasn't short, but when you're compared to your brother who's a 6'3" gigantor, the word  _shrimp_ maddeningly seems to stick.

Lee backed up a step. This was the first time he was in direct eye-leveled contact with the younger man and it was slightly intimidating.

Rage began to bubble inside Gaara because he knew Kiba.  _Oh,_ he knew him well. They were the same. Two peas in a pod, if you will, when it came to their taste in men.

"Has he touched you?" Pale hands clenched and unfurled at his sides.

Confusion etched on Lee's face. "Excuse me?"

Annoyed, Gaara rephrased. "Has he put his filthy hands on you?"

"What?! NO! He would never do that!"

Green eyes roamed at the skin the green t-shirt left exposed from his neck to his arms and lastly his face. "Good."

Lee was left greatly baffled. "Good? Gaara, what do you mean by  _good_?" Unknowingly, Lee stepped closer, waiting for an answer.

"Forget it. Come and start tomorrow." With that, he made his inside his room and began to close the door. Before he could accomplish that, a hand shot out and caught his arm.

Gaara's eyes snapped back towards Lee. The skin he was touching sizzled.

"Get your hand off me, Lee." His low, baritone voice carried easily in the deafening silence.

"No. Not until you explain to me what you were insinuating." There wasn't anything but firm determination on Lee's face.

"I'm warning you. Stop fucking  _touching_  me." He yanked his arm roughly from his grasp.

Lee moved forward from the force, eyes wide and in shock, but stepped back once he got his footing.

So he really was repulsed after all.

That...hurt. Unconsciously his right arm flew to his left shoulder, squeezing with a disturbing force.

He bowed low. "I'm so sorry for causing you any discomfort." Pain and shame laced his words, but he manged to keep the tremble at bay. The same thing couldn't be said about the tears.

Once he straightened up, he ran. Ran as fast as he could out of the house and dangerously stepped on the gas once he started his green pickup. The hurt didn't let him hear Gaara calling after him.

* * *

"What're you thinking offerin' my bathroom for a makeover?"

It was the first thing Kankuro greeted his brother with. Exhaling a heavy sigh, he plopped onto Gaara's bed.

Gaara ignored him, preferring to work on his thesis.

"Course, you would've paid for it if he had accepted to do it."

Obviously, this caught the red head's attention. His fingers halted, hovering above his keyboard. " _If_ he had accepted?"

The brunet flipped on his stomach. " _After_ my initial confusion, he offered to refer me to someone else. Said no, obviously."

The way Gaara was staring at him as he told the story was freaking him out to be honest. He looked ready to murder him and that didn't sit well with him. At least not today. Sakura was coming over and he kinda needed to be alive. He doubted his girlfriend was into necrophilia.

Wait...she did work with dead people sometimes. She had to like it a _little bit_  so maybe...

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door slam shut and just like that he was left alone with the small miracle of living another day.

* * *

He had called. And called. And called. Even left one voice mail, but still, Lee was not answering his phone.

After he left his house, he remembered that he didn't actually have Lee's number so he asked his brother to text it to him.

Pulling at his hair, he paced outside his car.

Despite being tormentingly attracted to Lee, he didn't know a thing about him. When he took the liberty to accompany Lee while he worked, he was really only staring at the man and the times they did talk it was about what Lee was doing.

_"The floor needs to be leveled or it will acquire an unwanted curve. It can crack far more easier as well."_

_"Cutting the edges is the hardest part. I have done jobs where the walls are crooked and it messes up the measurements. I like your walls though. It makes my job easier."_

_"The cement needs to have a pretty fluid viscosity. Then you have to smear it and check that the tiles are pretty even at the edges. You can either add more cement or take away. It is hard at first, but you learn to gauge it with practice._

_"You have to apply as little pressure as possible so the grout does not come off. It would take away the purpose of its application."_

He knew nothing about him, but at least he could do his own tile work if it struck his fancy thanks to Lee.

Gaara dug into his jean's pocket and took out his cell phone. As he scrolled through his contacts, a name flashed quickly and he had to scroll back up to look at it.

Kiba.

Kiba knew Lee.

Kiba had recommended Lee to Kankuro.

He pressed the call button and waited, scowling the entire time. It was five rings before he heard the gruff voice.

_"Hello?"_

"Inuzuka." There was a long silence.

_"Well, this is a surprise. To what do I owe the honor, your highness?"_

The sarcasm wove seamlessly through every word.

"Where's Lee?" Might as well get to the point.

_"Why?"_ Suspicion; clear as day.

"I need to talk to him."

_"Why?"_

"I don't believe that's any of your business."

_"Well then, I guess his whereabouts aren't any of your business either, Red."_

Gaara was beginning to get  _very_ annoyed. "Stop being a brat and just tell me where he is."

He heard the disbelieving scoff and cursed. Maybe. Just  _maybe,_ he should have worded that differently.

_"No. See, as you've just so pleasantly said, I'm a brat. So being the brat that I am, I'm gonna do this."_

Click.

It rang loud in his ears.

* * *

He found him a month later.

Kankuro was bitching at him to go work out since a lot of his buddies worked nights and was too pussy to go by himself. So there he found himself spotting for his brother.

He wasn't a very good spotter, but his brother wasn't dying so it didn't matter.

At first, he thought he was just seeing things. He'd become very acquainted with the shape of Lee's back so he knew what it looked like, but again, it had been a month. Absence makes the brain go hazy.

Then he turned.

His hair looked a bit longer. It was tied in a small pony tail but some of it was too short and it stuck to his face with sweat, but it was him. Next to Lee, a blond man patted his backside twice and laughed when Lee squawked reprovingly.

Gaara was ready to storm over and break that hand. The blond imbecile left Lee alone, though, and made his way to the locker rooms.

He was tempted to follow, but lucky for him and his hand, Lee remained to do some cool down stretches.

This was the perfect opportunity.

But first, "You. Spot him." The passing stranger stopped, confused, but the look Gaara gave him silenced all objections.

"H-hey! Where you goin'?" Kankuro's huffed out, his eyes followed his brother from his fixed and very grueling position.

Gaara gave him a noncommittal wave and only kept his eyes on Lee, finally stopping just a few feet away from the half folded brunet.

Slowly, Lee unwound his arms from around his ankles and came back up, extending his arms upwards and pulling his body up as high as he could. During the process his eyes remained closed.

When he opened them, he immediately backed away, almost crashing into someone walking behind him. He apologized profusely, nevertheless.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Sabaku? Lee sauntered back further until he stopped by a treadmill. From the cup holder he grabbed his water bottle, face towel and keys.

Gaara followed him, always just a few feet away.

"Kankuro," he said as if the single name provided a detailed explanation.

"Ah. Well, it was nice seeing you." Lee was avoiding all eye contact. He patted his sweats' pockets, ensuring his phone was there and made his way toward the entrance, completely disregarding his impoliteness.  _Just this once._

"You're avoiding me."

"Why are you following me?"

"Because you're avoiding me."

Lee waved to the girl at the desk, receiving a friendly smile and a wave back.

Gaara glared daggers when he passed by her, but she seemed unperturbed, opting for a deadpan expression just for him.

_Hmm. Was he losing his touch?_

Lee didn't stop until he got to his truck and pulled the latch. Unfortunately, Gaara kept pace with him.

The door was slammed shut and the hand responsible for it remained there.

"Mr. Sabaku, I do not understand. Why are you following me?"

Gaara leaned into the door and curiously watched as Lee, once again, stepped back.

"I hate repeating myself. This is the third and last time. You're avoiding me. And I've told you. My name is Gaara."

Lee fidgeted as he looked down at his shoes. "I am not and that is a privilege I am not comfortable with having. Now please, Mr. Sabaku, I have work early tomorrow-"

Gaara stepped forward and Lee practically jumped back. They continued with this cat and mouse game until Gaara's irritation got the best of him. With a swift move, he got in front of Lee and pushed him.

His bottom half hit flush with his truck while his upper body bent backwards a bit at the edge of the side panel.

Lee wasn't somebody to be trifled with. He might not start fights but he was certainly not passive. He gave as much as he got.

Using both hands, he shoved the red head hard, but Gaara latched on to his left arm before he could stumble further back.

Lee pulled at his arm, yanked it and shook it, trying to loosen Gaara's hold until he seized all movements completely.

Black eyes glued themselves to the hand gripping him and there wasn't very good lighting in the parking lot, but he was sure he wasn't seeing things.

"You're touching me," he breathed out disbelievingly.

"Why are  _you_  touching  _me_?"

For the first time that night, Lee's eyes connected with Gaara's. There was a predatory look to his gaze that made Lee's feet unconsciously step back until he was once again pressed flush against his truck.

Gaara grinned. It was a devious grin.

"You don't like it?" The grip tightened as he got closer.

"It's not that. I-I thought...I thought-"

"You thought what?" This close, Lee's smell was wonderful.

He kept his gaze on those black, expressive eyes.

The trapped man could feel the puffs of the other's breath intermingling with his own labored ones. His heart beat was accelerating too quickly and Gaara's continual proximity was not doing him any favors.

"I thought you were repulsed by me," he whispered, but it was loud enough for Gaara to hear.

The young man stopped his advances and searched Lee's face. There was something off about it.

"Why would I be repulsed?"

Lee just stared at him as if he'd asked the most stupidest question in the world.

Quite frankly, he was offended. It was a serious inquiry.

"You have avoided even the smallest of physical contact with me. I thought you were just forcing yourself to be polite."

Gaara recognized what was wrong.

Hurt.

He was showing his hurt.

Gaara moved back a bit until he felt the strain of his eyes subside from being almost cross-eyed, but their bodies remained practically flush.

"You were wrong." He let his hand fall to wrap around Lee's wrist. His thumb began to rub soothing circles on the soft skin.

"I don't force myself to do anything for anybody."

Lee averted his eyes. The skin being touched prickled with goosebumps.

"Your actions spoke a different language."

Something clicked in Gaara's head at that moment. "You ran because you thought I was mad you touched me."

Lee flinched when Gaara's hand ran up to his shoulder and an immobilizing fear left him breathless.

"Lee?"

Said man closed his eyes. _You are not seven anymore. You are not seven anymore. _You are not seven anymore.__

Gaara, on his part watched confused as the brunet murmured something incomprehensible.

Lee opened his eyes only to find a green stare fixed on him.

Gaara. It was Gaara. He wasn't seven. He was twenty-five.

His mother was gone.

He tried to put on a smile, but Gaara wouldn't have it.

"What was that just now?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Please forgive me."

Gaara tightened his hold on the muscled shoulder and was rewarded with a wince. "Please don't touch me there," Lee pleaded.

But Dottie, he was a rebel.

Instead of obeying, the red head began to slowly massage the area. "Why? I'm finally touching you aren't I? I'm not repulsed."

Lee made to remove the pale hand but his wrist was caught. He glanced up at Gaara with a questioning look.

"You want to know why I never touched you?" He brought Lee's hand to rest on his hip before he rolled them against Lee's.

There was a strangled hitch to his breathing and Lee's hand clutched to the fabric of Gaara's t-shirt.

Gaara leaned in closer, a grin on his face when he felt that firm grip. His lips hovered close to Lee's ear and reveled at the shudder he received.

"I like you, Lee." A pink tongue flickered out, laving the lobe of the ear presented to him.

The brunet couldn't move. He didn't know if he wanted to. His head dropped and his eyes closed. This had to be a dream.

Gaara was delighted. He rolled his hips again just for good measure and was rewarded with a soft moan.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Lee nodded and unconsciously brought his left hand to hold on to Gaara's own shoulder.

Gaara continued his movements, even when he heard footsteps approaching he didn't stop. "I didn't touch you because I would have taken you right then and there, but Kankuro told me not to." He leaned back and with his free hand tipped Lee's head back up.

"I listen to him sometimes, my brother. At the time, it made sense. But this little misunderstand is telling me that was a stupid idea."

His lips lingered close to Lee's. Teasingly close and Gaara loved it. He swiped at the lower lip in front of him and groaned. It was a small taste, but it was driving him crazy already.

Lee was lost with all kinds of sensations running through his body. He never noticed when his own hips started to thrust forward in rhythmic motion to Gaara's.

"Ah, fucking hell!"

Gaara looked up to find his brother covering his eyes.  _What is he, twelve?_

Nevertheless, he flicked him off and with that same hand, wrapped it around Lee's neck and finally kissed him.

How he ever managed to keep away from Lee, he didn't know, but fuck. Lee was delectable.

He smiled into the kiss when he heard Kankuro yell something about having Gaara walk home, because let's be real, he wouldn't be walking anywhere and he was especially not going home.

Lee responded immediately with an eagerness that made the red head fully question his sanity for listening to his brother. Never listen to idiots.

When they parted, their breaths were heavy as they tried to gulp in oxygen like a dying fish would water.

"I was never repulsed," Gaara panted out. He gave a light peck to the glossy lips.

"Let's go to your place. Let me show you how I'm the complete opposite."

Lee opened his eyes and stared at the man in front of him. His gaze lifted upwards a bit and without much thought his hands flew to the unruly hair before him.

He wanted to do this. Since that day at the club when Gaara was in the embrace of another with his hair being gripped by their hands. But it was just  _this_  that he wanted before.

Feeling the strain of his pants, he frowned. When did it turn into something more?

When Gaara felt Lee's fingers massage his scalp, his head dropped with a moan. He loved having his hair played with, having it massaged, pulled, gripped tightly. He could get off on it.

His own wondering hands came down to rub Lee's sides. The shirt was still moist with sweat.

So immersed in the feeling of Lee's touch, he was, that Gaara almost missed the single word spilled by kiss-swollen lips.

"No, what?" He replied breathlessly.

"You are not coming to my place tonight."

This livened up Gaara in a heartbeat.

"What? Why not?" The grip on Lee's ribs tightened, but either the owner didn't feel it or he chose to pay the discomfort no mind.

"I am not that type of person, Gaara. We have not even gone out on a date." Lee, the little teasing devil grinned.

So his idiot of a brother  _had_  been right.

Gaara licked his lips in relief and was pleased when Lee followed the movement with lustful eyes. He did it again for the hell of it.

"So let me take you. Tell me where you want to go and I'll take you there."

His hands hadn't moved from the red locks so Lee resumed his soothing ministrations.

"What if I want to go to Russia?"

"Well, we'd probably have a problem because I wouldn't be able to do this," he kissed his lips slowly, gently. When they parted, a string of saliva still connected them. "...comfortably in public."

When the kiss ended, Lee followed after Gaara. "What about a movie?"

The younger man chuckled. "With the the whole dinner cliché as well?"

The brunet smiled. "Of course. And we split the bill."

Gaara frowned. "No. I'm taking you out so I pay. On our next date, you take me out and you pay." Gaara wasn't one to look for a longstanding relationship. He liked sex, but he was surprised how easily he could see himself doing this whole sappy dating thing with Lee. The brunet was making him want it.

Lee laughed and it was an angelic sound that had Gaara clutching onto the reign of his libido like a lifeline.

"I am mollified by that. Nothing too expensive." With a smirk, he nodded. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to spending time doing nonsexual things.

He wrapped his hands around Lee's waist and thinking he was going to get away with it, slid them lower to grope the round behind.

But Lee was true to his word. He grabbed both wrists and smiled, shaking his head at the red head. "Not until the third date."

If Kankuro had waited around, he would have been left with the horrifying experience of witnessing his brother truly laughing.

Lee, on the other hand, became smitten with the sound and promised himself to be the cause of it on a frequent basis.

Both men remained standing there, side by side in a comfortable silence, their fingers interlocked. And it was such a relief for Gaara to know that Lee understood, where others didn't, his love for silence. He didn't try to fill it up with unnecessary chatter.

He chanced a look at Lee's profile out of the corner of his eye. The brunet was looking up at nothing in particular, but a smile illuminated his face even when there was nothing to smile about at the moment.

Gaara didn't notice when he'd moved, but from one moment to the next he was kissing Lee's cheek, surprising the other man.

"How domestic of you, Gaara."

The red head frowned at those choice of words. He'd never done such a simple act like that with any of his past lovers. Granted, he'd never entertained the idea of forming something more than a sexual relationship.

"Hm."

Lee chuckled before placing a soft kiss on Gaara's own cheek and grinned before placing another, but this time square on the lips.

"Mmm. I could get used to this, Lee. With you. I've never been in this kind of relationship before." He stared at Lee, searching his expression.

The older man was surprised to be honest. "Never? Why?"

Gaara shrugged. "Nobody ever held my interest long enough. Never gave me a challenge."

"Are you saying I am just a challenge?" Lee asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Red hair shook at Gaara's negative response. His hand came up to cup Lee's cheek. "Not  _just_  a challenge, but my sister told me that if a relationship doesn't have challenges to work out, then it's bound to wither because there's no real substance." Lee's expression softened at the touch.

"I want you, Lee. I want you to be that challenge for me. I want to experience having substance." Black eyes searched Gaara's face for any lies, but he found none. What he found was uncertainty, and fear?

Was Gaara scared?

"Okay, Gaara." Lee nodded with his own ounce of uncertainty. "I will be your challenge if you will be mine."

Gaara breathed out a laugh. "I swear, Lee. You are turning me into such a fucking sap." He wound his arms around Lee's neck and kissed him, sealing the deal.

"So, now you find yourself privileged enough to call me by my name?"

Lee's face turned red. He'd never been as glad for the darkness in his life. "Well, if I called you Mr. Sabaku, you would probably think I have a kink for foreplay."

Gaara grinned, a gleam of white teeth showing through. "There's nothing wrong with foreplay."

The heat around his face wouldn't go away as he smacked at Gaara's hands moving towards his backside again.

"As much as I want to stay here and fight off your fondling, I do have work tomorrow morning."

Gaara backed away, stuffing his hands in his short's pockets. "Ah, yes. I have class tomorrow as well. But I also don't have a ride home."

"You don't?"

"Kankuro, my dear brother, abandoned me when he saw us sucking face."

Lee gasped in disbelief.

"He saw us?"

He groaned when Gaara nodded with an amused grin.

"How embarrassing," Lee moaned into his hands.

"And be it as it may, I still need a ride home. Would you do me the honor?"

"Of course! Hope on."

The ride to Gaara's house was pretty much made in silence except for the loud motor that Gaara swore would give out on them at any minute.

Instead, the red head chose to look at Lee almost the entire way home. Every now and then, Lee would scratch his cheek in embarrassment. Nobody had ever regarded him with such a heated expression on their faces before and it was hard not to feel Gaara's stare boring holes onto his face.

His mother had been the only one to do that when-well...it didn't matter any more.

At one point, and Gaara didn't miss this, he massaged his left shoulder while at a red light and breathed out hard.

"Lee."

"Hmm?" Being the conscientious driver that he was, the aforementioned man didn't turn to look at Gaara, but he did tilt his head, signaling that he was listening.

"Before, why did you tell me not to touch your shoulder? Now that I think about it, when you ran off a month ago you also touched it like it burned."

Lee stiffened and sat up straighter in the seat. A pregnant silence took place that not even the raucous motor could disturb.

"It does not really matter, Gaara. It really is nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be doing that." Lee chanced a look towards Gaara, making sure the light was still red and followed his gaze.

He was clutching at his shoulder unconsciously.

"Oh." He removed the hand, wondering when it got there.

The light turned green and for the rest of the way, Lee didn't offer any explanation.

Gaara wasn't one for patience so the moment Lee put the truck in park, he grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him.

Lee dropped his eyes. He licked his lips a couple of times before finally looking up. The question was marked on the red head's face and it didn't look like he would be let go any time soon, so Lee took a deep, shaky breath.

"I was an unwanted pregnancy, he began carefully.

"My mom, she...she was raped when she was seventeen, but because her parents were very conservative people, they refused to let her get an abortion." Gaara's grip tightened on his chin. He removed it when he saw Lee wince.

He laced his fingers with the brunet's instead.

Lee smiled wistfully and squeezed the appendage. His eyes beginning to take a faraway look.

"Then, I was born. She refused me since the moment she found out she was pregnant. When the doctor asked if she wanted to hold me, she told them to take me away. Mostly, I was raised by my grandparents until I turned two. They passed away, you see.

"Somehow, someway, I ended up living with her. She was still my mother after all, but she still didn't want me. She wouldn't hold me. She wouldn't let me touch her and would scream  _get away you abomination._ I didn't know what that word meant, but I knew it was bad. It was what you called something you didn't want."

Gaara couldn't comprehend this. His hatred for a women he'd never met was growing immensely, but he listened attentively, taking careful notice of the change in Lee's speech.

"If I cried she locked me in the closet. Sometimes she did not give me food. I used to be really thin and malnourished so I got sick pretty frequently. I can't recall ever going to the doctor, but somehow I always made it through and I think that was what upset her the most. She wanted me gone," his voice trembled out and his lips quivered just like they did back then.

"She just saw the rapist in me, but I can't blame her, Gaara. It wasn't her fault. She suffered the most and no one helped."

Lee was too far gone in the memories of the past. He didn't notice Gaara wiping the tears off his cheeks, his expression clear with unadulterated anger.

"One day, when I was seven, I was-I was just really hungry. She was in the kitchen and I touched the end of his skirt." Lee's eyes furrowed in confusion. "I did not touch  _her_. Just her skirt. I told her  _mommy I'm hungry_ and she screamed! Told me S _tay back. Don't come near me._ I was starving Gaara," he returned from that world and looked into Gaara's green eyes.

" _Stop fucking touching me,_ she told me."

Something inside Gaara's chest broke. His own fingers trembled within the confine of Lee's hand at the revelation.

"Then, she got a knife off the counter and she charged at me. I did not move fast enough. My shoulder was sliced a good two inches. The cut wasn't deep, but it did not stop there. She impaled me with it."

At some point, Gaara moved to sit on Lee's lap, chest to chest and his back resting against the steering wheel. Never minding the indents Lee's nails were leaving on his arms. They broke skin, but he let the fluid run. How could he care about that when Lee was reliving something far more agonizing?

What's worse, he was the sole culprit for making him feel this.  _He_ was the one who screamed those exact same words to him just because he was trying not to jump his bones.

"Thankfully, a neighbor heard the commotion and he broke down the door. I can't remember much after that. I believe I passed out. I never saw her again." He finished, tears still streaming down his distressed face.

They sat there in each others arms for a long while with Gaara holding Lee and Lee clutching for dear life onto something giving him purchase to the present.

_You are not seven anymore. You are not seven any more. You are not seven anymore._

It had been a long time since he had to chant that mantra prior to Gaara.

With his head resting in the juncture of Lee's neck, Gaara began to shower the skin with soft kisses. "Lee, you're not seven anymore."

His hands moved to Lee's upper arms, ascending slowly until they were massaging the muscled shoulders. They were rigid for a long time, but slowly unwound under Gaara's touch.

_Soon_. Soon, he would see that scar and lavish it with all he could give. Give it a new meaning, override the hurt with new, pleasant memories. But now was not the time.

He kissed his cheeks, his nose, his forehead.

The brunet began to breath normally again, nodding. "You're not an abomination."

Again, Lee just nodded. He knew he wasn't. It took him a while to  _accept_  that he wasn't. There was no way he would regress now.

"I'm not an abomination."

Gaara's lips continued their trek, pressing them against closed lids, down to his chin."

"It's not your fault."

"It's not my fault." Funny how his therapist struggled to get him to repeat those words.

"You're not repulsive."

"I-" Lee hesitated. This was something he wasn't sure of sometimes. High school had not been a conducive time to help him think otherwise. Some of the taunts still stuck till this day.

With both hands, Gaara took Lee's face and forced him to look at him.

"You are  _not_ repulsive."

Lee's lips parted, mouthing the litany a few times before his voice followed through. "I am not repulsive."

In his lifetime, Gaara had only a handful of times smiled with sincerity. This moment warranted one.

He never took his eyes off Lee as he did this. Lee needed to see the truth of those words reflected in his gaze.

He moved in closer, gaze unwavering and smoldering as he captured Lee's lips with his own.

Lee closed his eyes at the contact, but Gaara didn't. He wanted to take it all in. Relish it and imprint it in his memory; his very soul.

In that moment, he made a promise to himself. He never wanted to see that foreboding cloud of doubt crawling through the pores of Lee's skin, infesting any kind of self-hatred. Out of every person he had met, Lee didn't deserve that. He was a person to be cherished. A person to be loved not only by those who knew him, but by his own self as well.

He would get Lee to love himself for all that he was. For the beautiful man Gaara would never be.

The red head bit at the older man's lower lip, asking for permission to enter. After a moment's hesitation, Lee granted it, moaning when their tongues danced with each other, neither looking to gain dominance. It was more of a comfort, a physical representation of Gaara's previous words.

Unfortunately, their lungs wouldn't give them the necessary oxygen to last longer like they wanted to. They both took long intakes of air, expanding their deprived organs and feeling the exhales across each other's skin.

"You better prepare yourself, Lee," Gaara panted breathlessly.

Said man opened his eyes half mast, regarding Gaara with an inquisitive tilt to his head.

"I'm gonna make you mine. I'll take your kisses, your body, your love. Your thoughts will consist of nothing but me." He bit his chin, dragging his tongue across Lee's jaw, savoring the salty taste.

"I'll make you feel wanted until you forget this self-reproach and think about my lips tracing the line of your collar bones, you hips. I won't leave a single part of you untouched and I won't stop until you tell me  _you_  are beautiful. I'm going to make you believe those words and purge every bad thought that ever crosses your mind."

Lee couldn't breath. He couldn't believe the words spilling out of Gaara's lips.

"Say it, Lee. Say,  _I'm beautiful._ "

The brunet shook his head. "I-I can't...I don't-"

"Say it!" The intensity of his voice traveled to the deepest part of his being, making Lee shiver.

"But, I'm n-not!"

Gaara grabbed Lee's jaw with a force he was sure would bruise, but Lee needed to say this. "C'mon, gorgeous. Say it."

Lee stayed silent. A wide-eyed expression searching Gaara's face. Sure, he didn't mean it. He couldn't possible mean it!

"Say it, Lee. Repeat after me:  _I'm beautiful."_

Lee hesitated, but Gaara's seriousness was evident. "I'm beautiful."

"Again."

"I'm beautiful."

"One more time!"

"I'm beautiful!"

Minutes ticked by without either saying anything. Just staring into each others eyes. Finally, for the second time that hour, Gaara smiled.

"I won't ever let you forget it."

And for fifty-six years, he didn't.

_**Fin.** _


End file.
